Chris Archer: It takes 10 years to become an overnight success

Chris Archer pitched in the minor leagues for six years before starting for the Tampa Bay Rays. He used talent, hard work and lots of dedication to make it to Major League Baseball, but what really makes him extraordinary is the kind of person he is off the field. He has found meaning in his success by helping others. He believes he has a higher purpose and recognizes that through sport, we have the power to change lives.

Here are a few things Chris told me:

“We have a quote with the team: ‘You either win or you learn.’ 2016 was a very trying year for not only myself, but the team. We lost over 90 games. I led the league in losses last year as an individual player. I view it as, I learned more than anyone else in the league learned, and I use that as fuel in the offseason. I’m using it as fuel every single day. I failed, but I learned. If I’m struggling with it, then I’m actually growing.”

“One of my favorite quotes is: ‘It takes 10 years to be an overnight success.’ From the time I was 17 to now I’m 28 years old and I’m in the position that I’m in, it took me a good 10, 12 years to get to where I’m at. Some people have never heard of me and would maybe consider me an overnight success, but that’s definitely not the case.”

“I don’t want to just be good. I want to be great. I’m trying to be better. I’m trying to find an advantage or something that I can take from the last game, whether I won or lost, to make me better for five days from now.”

“When you get drafted and all you’ve done is played sports your whole life, you think that your purpose is to throw a baseball for a living. In reality, it’s not. There has to be something deeper that you’re living for because at some point, your ability to throw a baseball really hard is going to diminish. There has to be something more out there for you that motivates you to be just a better human being. For me, I found that mine was to inspire the youth and have a positive impact on as many people as I can.”